As the Wind Blows
by jonadark
Summary: Some things in life are not meant to be understood. Life changes directions with every step you take, about as fickle as the wild wind. Sometimes it touches close to home, touches those who have forgotten what it is to be loved. Or those who never knew it


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Accidentally in Love

by jonadark

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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The way she walks down the hall._The way he walks toward me…_

Makes me wonder why I never noticed before.

_Makes me want to run and hide…_

Notice the way she's quietly beautiful

_I wouldn't want him to see my ugly face…_

Quietly beautiful

_So damn ugly…_

I thank my lucky stars she's already half mine.

_I can't believe he even wants to be seen with me…_

We're friends

_We're friends…_

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"Harry." Hermione smiled slowly as she inclined her head to her best friend.

"Morning Hermione." Harry murmured in passing.

They both peered slowly over their shoulders and their eyes locked as they walked away from one another. Hermione didn't feel her heart race; she didn't feel anything at all while his brilliant green eyes held hers.

Her eyes were so bright, bright with life. She'd always be there for him—he knew that, as he walked away, their eyes still locked…her bright brown eyes.

They both looked away and walked on—walked away.

That was just how it was. Neither of them knew exactly what to call that feeling—it really wasn't a feeling at all.

You can feel the chill air of late fall, you can feel the worn stone beneath your feet, you can feel the swish of cloaks—those things you could feel.

Hermione stuffed her books in with a vengeance. She really needed to get over this stupid, illogical _crush_ she'd developed out of nowhere. It was beginning to mess with her head, and Hermione Granger did not like it when anything got in the way of her studies. She groaned as the books sprang out of the bag as if it had springs attached. Again she tried, and failed, and tried again, and failed.

Fed up, Hermione just carried the book, tossing her backpack over one shoulder she hurried out of the library. It was getting close to Christmas. She had to get so much done before break—yet her brain had decided to go off daydreaming. And hadn't come back.

"Err." She shook her head furious at herself as she walked down the deserted hallway. The commotion in the Great Hall could be heard from several hundred yards away. "Good grief." Hermione murmured as she walked in. How could they possibly get louder? What in the world was there to talk about?

Hermione eyed the tables full of laughter and bubbling bodies and loud talk. She shook her head and headed for the Gryffindor table, only to find the object of her distraction seated alone. He looked up at her and motioned slightly for her to sit.

Like she had a choice.

The bag dropped with a thud and the book was tossed carelessly onto the bench. If it was going to rebel against going into the backpack, she wasn't going to treat it kindly.

"Hungry?" Harry asked as Hermione sat down with a huff across from him.

"Not in particular." She snapped.

Harry shrugged and speared another potato. "I think that Snape's going to be pairing us together in Advanced Potions for the next assignment."

Nodding Hermione looked up then and was immediately amused at the sight of a dancing potato. It seemed Harry wasn't all that interested in _eating _and had instead began writing in the air with it. "You're not supposed to play with your food Harry."

The fork was set down and Harry rubbed the side of his neck tiredly. "Yeah."

"Ruff day?"

"As usual."

"Where's Ron."

Harry grinned, his eyes closed. "Oh, you know him." He yawned deeply. "Off with…"

"Yet another girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

Hermione watched silently as Harry dozed off in front of her, his inky black hair falling across his face.

"You want me to take you back up to the common room?"

Harry nodded and Hermione picked up her book and bag again as Harry stood, taking up his own pile of books. Together they exited the Great Hall.

The way to Gryffindor tower was rather boring and long. Hermione sighed as she walked next to the scuffling boy.

"You fall, I'm not carrying you."

Harry gave her a tired grin. "That would be a funny sight though."

Hermione hopped up the stairs ahead of Harry. "Yeah right. I'd probably end up injuring you. You'd wake up with a broken arm, rib, head."

"Oh, well, that wouldn't be so bad." He managed to catch up with her. "Where do you get the energy?" He hated stairs, and even more so hated running _up_ them.

Hermione shrugged, using her free hand to pull her hair to the side and out of her face. "I wouldn't say I've got all that much energy. I didn't even get half of my homework finished while I was in the library." Of course, the reason for that was her own fault, not a lack of energy. Her head had suddenly gone from composed and focused to being filled with thoughts and daydreams of a certain friend—a certain, annoyingly handsome friend. How can you be friends forever and suddenly develop a crush out of thin air?

Hermione did not know the answer to that one. Her professors would be shocked. The thought made her grimace.

Harry watched the darkness of a bad mood cross over Hermione's face and watched her eyes sharpen. She was angry about something. He just hoped it had nothing to do with him. Being on the receiving end of her wrath was unpleasant to say the least. Very unpleasant. Almost unbearable.

They walked in silence until the reached the portrait that opened to what they had all come to call home. The warm air rushed to great them as they entered. The whole Gryffindor tower was cozy—almost too warm. But they liked it that way. If the rumors were true, each house had a very different atmosphere—and one of the rumors was that the Slytherin dungeons could send an unprepared student into shock. That is, it was rumored to be a frozen hell.

Harry had no trouble believing this. While his fellow Gryffindors always looked warm and healthy—the Slytherins appeared white, with that nice gleam of 'chilled to the bone' hanging over them.

He settled into one of the chairs in front of the roaring fire and dropped his books on the floor. Hermione, to his surprise set her books on the table next to his chair and sat. He had long ago realized that she preferred to work on her homework away from others. But then again—it was just the two of them.

Hermione dropped to the floor and opened up her books, unrolling parchment upon which she would write her 'History of the Common Witch' essay. Normally she would have headed up to her own dormitory and settled down upon her bed, but she knew that that would only prove to entertain her senseless thoughts of Harry. And it seemed, that with him close, her mind actually returned to normal. Or, more so than when he was away. So she sat there and worked, ignoring her instincts to haggle Harry about not doing his homework as he sat and watched her or the fire.

An hour passed and the parchment was filled with script written in glistening black ink. Harry yawned as Hermione put her quill down and rolled the parchment up. He'd gone into what he could only describe as a trance as he'd watched her write. The feeling was weird—akin to floating—detached and completely tolerable. He could feel the warm hazy feeling recede now that Hermione was done. She stood and he wanted to tell her to sit back down. She'd been so calming as she worked. He could almost forget the horrible things in his life.

Almost.

It had ended too soon. Hermione stood and stretched. "You really should be working on your homework Harry."

"Yeah."

Hermione glanced around the common room. "Where do you think everyone is?"

Forgetting himself, Harry reached out and took her hand, spreading her fingers and messaging them.

Hermione didn't move as Harry took her hand and began to work out the aches that an hour of jotting down words had caused. It felt so good as his warm fingers rubbed slowly along her soft skin, she felt herself melt. Her whole body now ached and she wanted nothing more than for Harry to message those aches away as well…

What the hell!

Hermione reigned in her thoughts and took control once more. This had to stop happening!

Harry slowly let go of her soft hand and leaned back in the chair. The comfortable silence was gone and was replaced with tension fused silence.

"My hand always hurt after writing essays." Harry cast a glance at Hermione. She wasn't blushing she wasn't doing anything abnormal. Instead she was looking at him with a look he knew rather well.

"Thanks." She said simply and took a step back. "Do you know where everyone is?"

Harry grinned. "You really need to be more up on the social activities that go around Hermione."

Shrugging Hermione bent to pick up her bag. "Well, thanks for pointing out my incompetence."

Laughter bubbled from him before he could stop it. "You're not incompetent, you simply do not care. I love that about you." Uh oh. Harry felt the laughter give way to nerves. Why did he ever open his big mouth?

Hermione didn't let Harry's comment get to her head. "Why thanks." She yawned. "I'm guessing that there is some party somewhere that I'm unaware of."

"Correct."

"Aren't you going to go?"

And give up the chance of being alone with you? No way. "Nah. I didn't feel up to it this time."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Hey, Hermione, you want to do something?"

Hermione's eyebrows lifted a fraction. "What would 'something' be?"

Harry shrugged. She looked ready to go off to the Girl's Dorm, he'd much rather have her down here. "Cards? Exploding Snap? Chess?"

Hermione paused. He never asked her to play those games with her. What was this?

"Can't say I'm very good at those."

"Okay. Well, we could just talk. I'd rather just sit here than go to the party…and it seems we're the only two not there. You could just keep me company." This was beginning to sound odd. They were friends. Couldn't they just hang out? Why did he have to make things sound so complicated?

It's because Ron's left him here alone. Poor guy. Hermione felt some pity for her friend, but then it left. Not only was he paying attention now that his 'guy' friend was gone, but he'd had the audacity to make her get a crush on him.

Oh that's brilliant Hermione, of course it's Harry's fault that you have a sudden dying need to be with him. Way to take the blame for your own crap.

Properly chastised by her conscience Hermione nodded her head. It wasn't Harry's fault that she liked him and while it was kind of Harry's fault that he pretty much ignored her when Ron was around… "I'm just going to put this stuff upstairs. I'll be right back." She hurried up the stairs and to her room.

Harry felt crummy. Why had this all started, but more importantly, when? His crummy feeling did not improve when he heard her quiet footsteps coming back downstairs. He'd never thought he'd fall for his best friend. You're just not supposed to do that. But, he decided, it was better that it was Hermione than someone who he didn't know. After all, they had to have something in common to be friends, there had to be some 'liking' to have stayed friends. Plus she'd risked her neck several times because of him.

"So…" Hermione's voice broke him from his musings. "What do you want to talk about?"

He shrugged. "What do you think about Ron and his multitude of girls?"

Hermione sniggered. "If you're asking in a hidden way if I'm hurt or something about it all, the answer is no. I don't like Ron—and good thing too!" she laughed. Ron had suddenly become a menace to the female population at Hogwarts. He really had no idea what he wanted. But it didn't bother Hermione anymore than any other guy who was completely senseless.

"You don't like him—even a little bit?"

Hermione frowned. "Not even a little bit. I'd rather date Malfoy."

Harry grinned. "Couldn't get any lower than that!"

This time Hermione grinned and her eyes filled with mischief as she eyed Harry. Some payback for him being unknowingly on her mind all day. "I wouldn't say that dating Malfoy would be _low_. After all he's _so_ very attractive." She saw the shock in her friends green eyes and she hid her own smile. "With that silky white-blond hair…gray eyes…" she licked her lips and saw Harry's jaw drop. "Who could resist that _bad_ boy?"

"Hermione!" Needless to say Harry was a bit shocked, and a little more than disgusted. "That is just disgusting."

Hermione donned an offended expression. "Why's that? It's true! Draco Malfoy is probably the hottest guy in this school." She knew that that was a low blow there and was pleased to see that it had hit home.

"And I call you my friend."

Hermione grinned. "Darling, I am your friend, that's why I tell you the absolute truth."

Suddenly it was Harry's eyes that filled with mischief. "Oh really. You always tell me the absolute truth?"

Unaware that the tables had turned Hermione nodded. "I wouldn't lie to you."

Taking a deep breath Harry held her gaze for a solid thirty seconds before he asked his question. "Do you like me?"

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hey guys, my first actual Harry /Hermione fic. tell me what you think!


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